How to Bring Your Entire Team Through a Pivotal Product Launch

If you're looking to execute a company-wide product launch plan, where do you start and who do you start with? Preethy Vaidyanathan, CPO of Tapad, reveals how marketers can bring their entire team through a pivotal launch

In today’s rapidly evolving world of technology, media, cloud/social platforms and more, it’s not uncommon to read about companies pivoting their business model and introducing new products into the marketplace. For example, over the past few months, we’ve seen e-commerce giant Amazon transition from an online-only retailer to an in-store model through the expansion of its checkout-less grocery store Amazon Go.

For a traditional product launch, most companies innately check the sales, PR, marketing, and product team boxes to prepare for a go-to-market launch. Even among these teams, it is usually the people who work on the new product day to day that are directly involved in an internal/external launch. It’s time to expand the core team and educate all employees regardless of who will directly interact with the new product so that the full force of the company is behind the success of the product or initiative.

So if you’re looking to scale an incubation idea and extend a launch plan company-wide, where do you start and who do you start with?

Start with the ‘why?’

Why do we focus so intently on making sure everyone is on board and up to speed during periods of transformation? First, we need to ensure that everyone can speak confidently about the situation and the reasoning behind the launch to external stakeholders like clients, analysts, partners etc. But I can tell you it is not just about that!

Rather, teams see any period of significant change, even if highly positive, as an upheaval - something that disturbs their equilibrium. For that reason, when introducing a new significant product announcement to your team it’s crucial that you regroup, go back to the basics, and remind them why this change is so important and how it aligns with company mission.

Too many firms focus on communicating to workforce specifically focused on the product launch, but this should actually be done for all employees, regardless of their department, role, office location or time at the company. The focus should be to inform and inspire, giving both rational and emotional explanations for the decisions being made - change can be an extremely powerful motivator when communicated correctly. A unified approach to educating and rallying all the troops is key to getting them through this period of change as it gives them a connection to the product or shift in approach while also explaining how it plays into the overall company vision.

When everyone has been given the reason to believe in - and connect to the larger company mission and vision, then they are now part of your corporate journey and are invested in the success of the product launch.

Encourage Existing Employees to Learn and Grow With the Business

Once the higher-level idea is shared company-wide, create an internal plan that informs, educates and encourages growth for all employees. One way to accomplish this is through an ongoing workshop and learning series. Use this ongoing experience to bring your team on the learning journey while also getting them excited about expanding their industry knowledge. Make employees feel as though they have the ability to learn all there is to know about the product and its importance without questioning their current understanding. Program content could include:

What the product is and ties it to the company mission (reiterate the why)

Why this product needs to exist and how this aligns and/or compliments the core business (tie to core business)

Who the target customer is and what their challenges are that the product solves (customer problem solved)

Who the competitors are and how they do things differently (explain why are we better)

Why it’s important to introduce this product to the marketplace now (timing)

Arming current employees with all the information they need to tell your company’s story will help strengthen their commitment to the end goal. A product launch is a great opportunity to remind employees that you’re all still moving towards a greater goal that will not only benefit key customers, but also the success of the business.

Pitch the Pivotal Product Moment to New Employees

One straightforward way to instill a new process is to introduce it right off the bat to new employees. So take a look at your company’s onboarding process. Are you educating new employees on all products as well as the team’s mission and how advancements will feedback to the overall vision of the company’s future? If not, start now!

It’s important for new employees to understand the company’s core offerings for a better understanding of your business and also see innovation in action. However, educating them from the get-go on the broader industry story the team is trying to tell through pivotal product updates, provides the knowledge they need to immediately have an impact. It can also encourage them to work across teams to source information from various departments versus being introduced to their direct teams and siloing their workflow.

Empower Recruiting with the Company Vision to Attract New Talent

A core component that can not be ignored is the integration of recruiting and product innovation. The recruiting team is on the frontline of the business to ensure that top talent is coming through the door and is excited about hopping on the bandwagon to achieve the company’s greater goals. Be sure to include the recruiting team in all training and education series about current products as well as new and upcoming products so they can remain the best advocates for your business. This will lead to promising conversations with key prospects interested in companies who are on the bleeding edge of technology.

Get People Involved

Now that all internal stakeholders are in the know and onboard with the mission of this new product or a pivotal company milestone, keep them engaged. In order to keep employees who are not directly involved in the product day to day, it’s important to make them feel valued not only through education but through action. Give them the opportunity to be a part of moving the mission forward. For example, on launch day, share an internal note encouraging employees to spread the word loud and proud about this moment in time on their social channels. To keep educating your workforce on what this product means to the mission, create an ongoing workshop or learning series that dives into the significance of what the team is doing and the importance for the clients. Last but not least, keep the creative juices flowing! An idea board is a great way for employees to express their thoughts and spark an idea based on someone else’s contributions.

In the end, a culture of inclusion and education will help to keep your team abreast, involved and passionate about the future of your business.